Ten
by Lady Kasai
Summary: Phoenix and Larry attempt to throw their new friend Miles a surprise birthday party.


"Miles is going to love this."

"You know, Larry, I'm not so sure—"

"Shut up, Phoenix, it's awesome!"

The two boys stared at the small gift.

"But what if—"

"C'mon, you're being lame. Let's go give it to him."

It was Miles Edgeworth's birthday. He had survived ten whole years without any friends, which was inconceivable in the fourth grade. Following his superior defense of the class runt earlier in the year, he had gained the respect and adoration of two unlikely suspects, and as a result was going to have the best birthday party ever.

As far as Larry was concerned, at least.

Phoenix wasn't so sure.

They walked to the Edgeworth's with two backpacks full of party supplies: masking tape, construction paper letters, shredded newspaper, three slices of pizza commandeered from the Butz's refrigerator and wrapped in several paper towels, and various colors of markers and balloons. The coveted gift, clutched precariously between Phoenix's hands, was wrapped in the Sunday comics and had "Happy Birthday, Miles" written in bubbly scrawl on the top.

Since Miles was with his Father in a court trial, he would be late getting home, and Phoenix and Larry had decided to take advantage of the ample time to prepare a surprise party. When they knocked on the door, however, there was no answer.

Minutes passed.

Phoenix sat quietly on the porch steps, balancing Miles's gift on his knees and sighing. Something was telling him that this was going to turn out to be disastrous, but it was difficult to hear his thoughts over Larry's impatient pounding on the Edgeworths' front door.

When they yet again received no response, Larry slumped next to Phoenix, dejected.

"Maybe we should just leave. It's probably rude to be sitting here at their house with no one home, you know."

Larry frowned at him. Unwilling to accept defeat just yet, he unzipped his plastic backpack, slipping the masking tape onto his wrist before grabbing fistfuls of the tattered paper. His feet stomped up the stairs, and when Phoenix heard the unmistakable sound of tape unraveling, he turned.

Larry was taping the shredded paper to the white siding on the Edgeworths' house.

"Larry, what…what are you doing!?" Phoenix could feel his heart in his feet. "This place is super nice! You're going to ruin something and then we're going to be punished! My allowance can't pay for a _house!"_

The spunky blonde shrugged and taped another haphazard blob of paper to the aluminum. "It'll be okay. Besides, it's me doin it anyway."

"Larry, you're the one who stole his lunch money and got me framed in the first place."

"Quit being such a spoil sport and help me, already! Geez!"

With a sigh and a trudge, Larry and Phoenix set to work on decorating the Edgeworths' porch. By the time they were finished, the house was smeared with half-blown balloons and newspaper with the colorful letters spread over the white railing of the porch. Phoenix noticed that Larry had spelled "birthday" wrong in his haste, but decided not to mention it for fear of getting kicked in the shins.

Their present sat unceremoniously on the top step of the wrap-around, lit by the glow of dusk.

It didn't take long for Mr. Edgeworth's car to glide into the garage, and Phoenix could feel a familiar sinking in his belly once more. He bit off a large hunk of the cold pizza they had been snacking on so that he wouldn't have to say anything to the soon-to-be furious man and his son.

Larry, however, was hardly as graceful, and jumped to his feet. "Miles! Hey!"

The slender boy appeared from under the closing garage door, dressed in an unusual navy suit and ascot. His eyes widened at the sight of his father's house and he stopped dead in his tracks, waiting for his father to take the lead.

"Hi, Mr. Edgeworth! Sorry 'bout your house. Phoenix and I heard it was Miles's birthday today so we came to throw him a surprise party, but you weren't home, so Phoenix said I should just decorate the porch instead."

Phoenix sighed. It figured.

When Miles and his father arrived at the scene, a deep-bellied laugh emanated into the spring air. "Well, how do you like that?" The older man surveyed the boys' handiwork with a grin. "You boys must have really worked hard on this. Did you do this all by yourself?"

Before Phoenix could answer, Larry cut in. "Yep! We worked _hours _on it. Happy birthday, Miles!"

Miles Edgeworth did not appear to be amused.

Mr. Edgeworth chuckled once more before retrieving his keys from his pocket. "Are you boys hungry? I know I am!" He unlocked the front door and entered with Larry trailing behind.

Miles and Phoenix, however, were sharing an awkward silence outside. The wind was blowing lightly and the chill of winter had not yet completely worn off, resulting in a set of healthy goosebumps for the two. Neither wanted to be the first to admit they were cold, however, so Phoenix decided to make an attempt at conversation.

"Happy birthday, Miles. It really wasn't my idea to ruin your porch like this, so I'm sorry if your dad gets mad. We brought pizza, but Larry and I ate most of it. I guess it isn't a very good party after all, but we did bring you a gift!" He picked it up off of the ground, presenting it sheepishly.

The young Edgeworth looked at it with great suspicion, knowing full well the antics of Larry Butz. He hadn't told Phoenix, but the boy's letter of thanks was hung above his desk in his room, and he wondered which of them had picked the gift contained within the small box. If it had come from Phoenix, he predicted that it was rather tame and therefore safe to open without eye protection. If it had come from Butz, however—

"Hey, you're not opening that without me, are you? That's not fair!" Larry was watching them with a sour look on his face. His nose was pressed against the screen storm door, causing the wire to bulge dangerously.

"Actually, Butz, I was simply considering precautionary measures."

"Huh? How come you always use such big words, Miles?" The door squeaked open and slammed shut, and Larry stood beside Phoenix in great anticipation. "Anyway, open it! I promise you'll like it, it's way cool."

Meeting Phoenix's eyes for a moment in preparation, the formally-clad boy set to work tearing at the seams of the newspaper carefully. Once the wrapping was easily removable, he slid the flimsy material away from the box and opened the top in silence.

Phoenix's dread was ironically accompanied by Larry's overwhelming enthusiasm, marking Miles's face of bewildered disgust in a mood that Phoenix had never seen before.

"It's…a toad."

"Yeah! Phoenix and I found it down by the creek and I got him to catch it so we could give it to you. Isn't it awesome? He even croaks sometimes!"

The lawyer's son looked at the both of them with a mask of indifference, but Phoenix knew.

He knew.

Wanting desperately for a way of placating the young Edgeworth's possible rage, he offered a wise word of warning: "You might not wanna hold it too close. It'll probably pee on your suit."

The stillness of night settled heavily upon the three boys and Phoenix prepared for the worst, but Edgeworth simply couldn't hold it in anymore.

He collapsed in a fit of laughter and set the box down in their yard, watching the grateful creature hop its way to freedom. Larry soon followed suit, and eventually Phoenix couldn't resist the infectious giggles no matter how nervous he may have been.

The mood was lightened considerably, and when they finally wiped mirthful tears from their eyes and caught their breath, Edgeworth spoke up. "This has certainly been the most…original birthday I've had."

"Aw, is that all?" Larry shoved him on the shoulder. "Do you wanna come to my house? We can watch movies and stuff in my basement." Even though neither boy had responded, the blonde had already started toward the street with a determined pace.

Phoenix turned to Edgeworth inquisitively, but was cut off. "I think my father would like me to stay here tonight, since it is my birthday after all."

"Yeah, that's okay. I can deal with Larry for you. Happy birthday again, and I'm sorry we couldn't get you something better."

With that, he set off with a trudge, not particularly enthusiastic to catch up to the spunky boy scuffing up the street.

"Phoenix?"

He turned back to meet the gaze of his best friend.

"Thanks." Miles held up the empty box fruitlessly.

Phoenix smiled.


End file.
